Field of the Invention
This invention relates to musical instruments in generally and particularly to the throw off mechanisms of snare drums, an improved snare assembly, and shell caps that allow the shell of the drum to be larger than the drum heads.
Discussion of the Prior Art
The snares of snare drums are conventionally mounting to the drum using a pivoting throw off mechanism in which one end of the snare frame is pivotally attached to a first shaft fixed to one side of the bottom of the shell and the other end of the snare frame is hooked or latched to a second shaft fixed to the opposite side of the bottom of the shell. The snares can be moved from an upper position in which the snares are in contact with the bottom head of the drum to a lowered position by rotating the snare frame pivotally about the first shaft by lowering the second shaft.
One disadvantage to the pivoting throw off mechanism is that it is difficult to properly tune the snares. Tuning the snares using a pivoting throw off mechanism requires that the snare frame first be disengaged from the bottom head. One or more tuning aides must then be inserted between the snares and the bottom head and the snare frame returned to the engaged position but with the snares sufficiently separated from the bottom head by the tuning aides to be tuned. Small dowels or even pencils are commonly employed for this purpose. Once the snares have been tuned, the snare frame must be disengaged from the head, the tuning aides removed, and the snares reengaged with the bottom head by returning the snare frame again to the engaged position. Unfortunately, once reengaged, the snares may no longer be in tune because they were tuned in a stretched condition due to the insertion of the tuning aides. Removal of the tuning aides prior to reengagement of the snares to the bottom head causes the snares to lose tension and fall out of tune. Thus, a pattern of disengagement, inserting of tuning aides, reengagement, tuning, disengagement, removal of the tuning aides with lose of tension, and reengagement sets up, making it difficult and time-consuming to fine tune the snares.